Heavy Steering 39

Hi Guys & Girls

A friend of mine has a really cool 39 tudor its all original, running gear is flatty v8 with stock box,diff & brakes it has mono spring front & rear 4" superbell with dropped steering arms & solids with whitewall radials (normal offset & narrow tyres) my question is its REALLY heavy in the steering is this normal ? Ive removed the drag link & both the steering box & front end spindles arm free & working nicely any ideas ?

Cheer Preston

 

hard to steer compared to what? have you driven any other early V-8 Fords?

 

Preston, If the 39 has a dropped axle and monoleaf, it`s probably got a wicked rake. Therefore, no caster....that will be a contributor to hard steering. Where did the car come from? It isn`t Dale Benges old 39 Standard, is it? Oh, by the way , say Hi to Frog for me...Still wish he hadn`t sold my old 29RPU to Australia all those years ago... How`s the Muffler Shop business going? Still Busy?

 

You still have the stock steering wheel or did you put a smaller one on ?

How many other stock 39's have he driven ? They are hard to steer until you get going ! But like posted before , what are you comparing the hard steering to ?

Retro Jim

 

Sorry buddy but you are 180 out on your thinking....
More caster equals heavier steering..
Less caster equals easier steering.

 

Hi yep it is Dale Benges old car Tony Cooks owns it now, will say hi to frog for you he's on the Hamb (frog nz) so I will put him onto you (hes just started painting my A truck so see him all the time), Works ok looks like a hotrod shop most saturdays so thats cool , ive had a look at the castor on the 39 & it doesnt look much different to my truck but I will put a gauge on it, Tony said hes driven lots of old fords & hes sure there not as heavy in the steering as this one is cheers Preston

 

Yep stock everything including steering wheel, it is real heavy ! you struggle to turn it around anywere im sure they wouldnt be this heavy standard ?

 

chop it, thats sure to help!

 

I dont think it will but at least it will look cool then who cares about the steering !

 

What about the tires and wheels? Too fat on the tire, too much offset in the wheel-combined with too much castER can make it hard to steer. BUT, suggest you try to drive another old Ford (preferably a stock/resto ) and compare.

 

BPS...before power steering, we were all taught to turn the wheel while the car is rolling even if it is only creeping in a parking lot. Now we all back up, stop and crank the wheel and then pull forward. In the old cars, you let out on the clutch and turn the wheel as you back up and start to turn the wheel in the new direction as we stop. Then as you start forward crank the wheel again once it starts moving in the new direction.

Power steering has spoiled us and ruined good driving habits. Yes old cars are hard to steer when parked. A little movement forward or backward greatly reduces the effort. You probably need to relearn how to drive an old car. That's part of the romance for me.

Remember little old ladies drove 39 Fords in the 40s too. They just learned how to do it easily.

 

If in the course of changing/modifying the steering arm it got "shortened"; I don't mean actually cut, but the eye of the steering arm moved closer to the king pin, then that would account for it.
Using a shorter Pitman arm will do the same. Even an eighth of an inch is noticable on a sedan sized car.
Also check the bottom of the axle boss to spindle interface for any irregularities.

The combo of an offset steering arm AND an offset Pitman arm can add up to very heavy steering.

 

I'd be looking at tires and tire pressures. The right tire and high enough pressure will lighten up the steering on old cars.

 

Webby will fix the problem in a jiff.
Truck looking good Preston.

 

Thanks thats what we were thinking

 

Shortening the steering arm will increase steering effort slightly.
Shortening the pitman arm will DECREASE steering efort.
Your problem is likely elsewhere.
Try checking the spindle thrust bearings...They can look good from the outside but be junk inside.

 

Years ago I drove that car alot. It always had more steering play than it should have. I wonder if someone adjusted the steering box up too tight to pass a Warrant? If it still has the wheel adaptors and Aunger 5spokes on it, that won`t help either. Or the Denim interior and Freak Bubble paint........Sigh......miss beating that thing around. Thirty years have gone by awfully quickly....

 

Hey Preston this may not be your issue but ...

My manual steering 61 F-100 was VERY hard. My tires were almost worn out as well. Got some new tires and I would say I got at least a 50-60% improvement.

 

A lot of restorers use the needle bearing kits for the kingpins on Ford front axles rather than the stock bushings. Most of them say it's a great improvement, "almost like adding power steering"

 

Were can you get these needle bearings?

 

What 48 chubby says makes sense - if the arms were dropped to suit the axle then they'd be effectively shorter (to the k/p pivot centreline), which has the same effect as a longer pitman arm, i.e. harder steering.

The needle bearing kits are available here: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Royal-King-Pin-Sets,4037.html amongst others. They aren't cheap.

 

I just happened to remember this....Many years ago I had a 40 Ford come in the shop complaining of the steering being heavy after he put in new king pins and bushings.
Turns out he put the thrust bearings on the top instead of the bottom of the axle.
Easy to check that, just look at it.

 

Try this :

http://shop.888murrays.com/home.php?cat=2886

 

Thanks guys a few things there to look at

 

Friend had a 40 steering box rebuilt with needle bearings replacing the bushings. Is real happy with it. Don't know off hand who did it but it shouldn't be hard to google it.